


Nathan, get down here!

by MustardPirate



Category: Half Life Trilogy - Sally Green
Genre: AU Where they're just normal kids having fun, Accident, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Cooking, Falling In Love, Fluff, M/M, No Sex, No Smut, chatting, chilling, just getting to know each other and their feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-19 00:59:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12399849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MustardPirate/pseuds/MustardPirate
Summary: Nathan and Gabriel are both just normal teenagers in a normal world. They have history but Gabriel feels that they aren't close enough. With his faint efforts he tries to make Nathan fall for him. And along his quest there are some incidents that make them closer.





	Nathan, get down here!

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to write about their life as a normal teenagers without powers and with some things messing up with their love life. I was just bored and this is just my way of trying to improve my writing so please don't mind this too much. I might make another chapter if people like this.

"Skipping school again?" Gabriel shouts to the Nathan sitting on the tree.

"Oh hey Gabriel" Nathan sounds surprised, he didn't expect him to get here so soon.

"Mind if I climb there?" He says as he looks for branches to climb.

"If you can"

"If you could, so can I" Gabriel grabs the nearest extension and hops on it. It seems to hold quite well. Nathan sits still as he watches him struggle.

"Just... how?" Gabriel grunts after trying a while. A branch cracks under him and his back to where he started.

"Oh shit."

"What?"

"That was the...." Nathan reaches out towards the fallen branch as it was the only hope he got left, now crumbled before his eyes.

"You... can't get down now?" Gabriel picks the stick almost as to inspect it closer, even though there isn't any reason.

" _Huh_ " Gabriel scoffs " _aren't you trapped now, skipper?"_  He sits down on the grass that the sun has dried up. 

"He-hey, let's not jump to conclusions now. I just need to find another route, right?" Nathan slides off a branch to the lower one, his eyes frantically searching for a way to go down.

"If you fall from that height, you'll surely break your ankles  _at least"_ Gabriel smiles and crosses his legs as he enjoys the view. Nathan frowns to him, but the fact remains. 

"Aren't you scared?" Gabriel continues his teasing and starts plucking weeds around him at a leisurely pace.

"Would you stop that!" Nathan stands up and punches the tree trunk; they hear a really ominous cracking sound. Both look at each other for a second before the branch snaps and Nathan barely manages to grab the sprig above him. Gabriel stands up, now really worried that he might  _actually_ fall. 

"I- I can c-catch you!" Gabriel extends his arms and goes under Nathan. There's still a huge drop if he were to fall.

"I'm fine!" Nathan swings his legs to get them over another sprig, after few tries he succeeds. Then he carefully replaces the branch he's holding onto to get into a better position.

Gabriel drops his guard and smiles with relief.

"You thought I would fall, didn't you?" Nathan is back at it again, sitting on a branch, swinging his legs, and trying to find another way to go down. 

"Well, Elsie grandma would be mad if I let you break your legs. And think about Arran. Just, please, be careful. I don't want to carry you all the way home like a princess" Gabriel smiles at the end in a jokingly manner.

"Just who do you think would let you carry them like a princess?!" Nathan leans forward while keeping his firm grip on the tree; he really wants to punch Gabriel in the face.

"Remember one time when you fell down and scraped your knee?-" 

Nathan covers his ears and starts shouting "I CA~N'T HE~AR YO~U!". But now his hands aren't holding onto anything. Gabriel sees the danger and tries to warn him, without succeeding. 

Only when Nathan's whole body tilts back is when he realizes his mistake. He desperately tries to reach any branch in sight, but his efforts are fruitless. 

He falls down, some branches hit his back pretty hard and push all the air out of his lungs. The final branch hits the back of his head and knocks him unconscious.

 

* * *

 

 

"Hey! Wake up!" Gabriel is breathing right onto his face. Under him is something soft and on his cheek is a warm palm.

"What the  _hell_ have you eaten?" Nathan mutters, eyes still closed. 

"Garlic bread, why do you ask?" Gabriel chuckles and the warm breathing and hand move away. 

"So... am I dead?" Nathan probes his own face and scrubs his eyes before opening them.

"So you think I would be the first thing you would see in heaven?"

"Who says I would go to heaven?" Nathan smiles and looks at Gabriel, he has some dirt on his face and his flowing brown hair is messily moving around.

"Oh? So you think this would be torture?" Gabriel makes a sly face before he tackles him down to the ground. 

"Not fair! I'm hurt!" Nathan's arms are trapped between his own legs and Gabriel's legs, but he wiggles them in a desperate attempt to free them.

"Oh really? Do you need me to carry you?" Gabriel sits on top of him, still keeping him trapped, and starts pinching his cheeks. 

"Aah! SHCTOP I!" Nathan shakes his head but that doesn't stop Gabriel. 

He continues for a while longer but gets tired of it soon enough. He starts playing around with Nathan's short black hair, fiddling it around his fingers and tugging lightly on it. 

"Can you not?" Nathan says, little uncomfortable with the situation. He tries hiding his expression by turning his head sideways but Gabriel grabs him by the cheeks and forces him to look at him.

"Don't look away now, your expression is fun to watch" Gabriel is holding back on giving him the biggest smug face he could pull while still keeping his fingers pressed on his cheeks. Now, every time Nathan talks, he feels his lips moving against his palms.

He creeps closer, trying not to make any expressions that could give him any clues. But when his lips almost touch Nathan's forehead, he can't stop smiling. 

He gives him a little peck and then moves away as he unleashes his hand. 

Nathan is now free to speak for his mind but he doesn't say a word. Only his expressions change from being surprised to being confused to being slightly disgusted and then they repeat. 

It goes on for whoever-knows-how long. The nearby forest fills the void for them.

The birds sing, the leaves rustle, insects go about their day, and the wind howls somewhat. 

The scents, the spring's early flowers, the trees, the leaves, the animals, everything feels new in a sense. 

 

How long has it been since they have stopped to enjoy the view? 

 

Nathan makes some noise, he wants out. 

Gabriel doesn't let him, but focuses his gaze on him.  _He wants his answer._

But he doesn't seem to notice the slight hint, so Gabriel takes matters into his own hands. 

"I like you" He says calmly without batting an eye, and without his voice wavering. He doesn't want to back off now. 

Nathan doesn't know how to respond, he avoid his gaze, and just squirms around until his arms are free. 

He begins squirming even more.

 

Even though Gabriel is the one holding him down, it feels like he is a third person in this situation, like it doesn't matter to him.

It takes a while for him to get free but when he is, he runs away without looking back. 

 

"Why am I crying?"

 

* * *

 

Half a day has passed and Gabriel thinks it's time to check on him, maybe even apologize.

 

"Is Nathan home?" He asks Gran Elsie, who unfortunately has to answer no.

"Do you know where he is?" He brushes his one leg against another and wraps his arms around himself. 

"Why don't you come inside first? It's still a little too early to be wearing a t-shirt outside"

"Thank you for your offer, but I really need to know now" He is now shaking.

"Wait for a bit" Gran goes inside the house and comes back with two jackets in her hands "This is for you, and give this to Nathan if you see him, that brat insisted that he would survive with just a t-shirt but I doubt that"

"Th-thanks, but where...?"

"He went out today and hasn't come back ever since. But most likely he is in the woods by himself like usual"

"Ok, thanks. Bye" He waves as he starts walking towards the grim forest that awaits. 

_Well, if he's usually in the forest, then most likely he is there right now._

He checks to see if Gran is still looking and then starts sprinting. He doesn't have time to zip up the jacket so every time the wind blows on him, his top half except the arms gets cooled down quite a bit, making him shiver.

 

* * *

 

 

He looks to the right and then to the left. Nowhere, he is nowhere to be seen. The light threatens to run out and the tree leaves filter what's left of it. The trunks are turning charcoal black and the color scheme is changing to the hues between black and white. The air cools down and the sounds die out. The birds stop chirping and the insects have stopped moving. 

"Nathan!" He cups his hands and yells into the forest "Nathan! Where are you?" 

He looks around and listens. No answer.  _Maybe he's not here?_

But he keeps yelling and searching. 

"Nathan! NATHAN! Na~athan!" 

The light has finally run out. He thinks of leaving when he hears something that he almost didn't catch. It's whining, crying out for help with a hoarse voice.

He runs towards the voice with all he got left in his legs. But every few seconds he stops to ensure he's going to the right direction. 

 

The voice is closer, now he can distinguish that in fact, it belongs to Nathan. 

There's a burning sensation in his chest as he is filled with relief. 

He shouts, again, but now with a reassured voice.

Now, it gets an answer. 

"Gabriel? Is that you?" Nathan says with a craggy voice, like he has been yelling for hours.

"I'm here" Gabriel finds the tree trunk he's lying against and then goes down. Nathan is most likely injured.

"What am I going to do?" He cries "I don't want them to find out!" 

"What happened?" Gabriel searches for Nathan's face and goes down until he reaches his leg, covered in something warm and moist. 

"I don't know, I don't know what happened!" He cries and tries to tune it down by biting his shirt.

"Is this... blood?" Gabriel touches the place where the blood pumps out.

"H-here" He straightens and wraps the jacket around Nathan's torso. He's cold and shivering.

Then he takes his own jacket and shirt off.

"Is it stuck to anything or is it loose?" Gabriel asks before he can proceed.

"Uhh... uh, it's..." Nathan doesn't seem to be able to communicate right now so Gabriel runs his hand around the foot and then gently lifts it up. Nathan doesn't shout but steadily keeps crying and whining so it seems fine. 

Gabriel wraps his t-shirt around the leg and then ties it tightly.

"Are you okay?" He touches Nathan's shoulder and tries to keep distant so he wouldn't make things awkward. 

Nathan is shakes and whispers a small 'yeah'.

"Is it okay with you if I carry you?" He says with a serious tone as he puts on his jacket. He places his hand over Nathan's shoulder again to reassure him that he's still there.

Nathan lets out a small chuckle "will you carry me like a princess?" and touches Gabriel's arm, signaling him that it's okay.

 

Gabriel starts by sliding his right arm under Nathan's back and his left arm under his ham.

He asks him if he's okay every now and then as he pulls him up. Nathan's arms go around the neck and devours the warmth that seeps through Gabriel's skin. 

"If you don't want them to see, we can go to my place"

Nathan presses his face against the jacket and murmurs something along the lines of 'isn't this mine?'

"Gran gave it to me. It's a little tight around the shoulders and a tad too short" Gabriel softly answers to his ear.

"You went looking for me?"

"I did. I was worried" 

"How.... worried?"

"A lot"

They continue walking around Nathan's house, so they wouldn't be seen. 

"But you live quite far, don't you?"

"It's just couple kilometers"

"Maybe we should..."

"It's okay, don't worry about it"

"But do you have first aid?"

"I do, in my house. I'm okay, I can get us there"

"But..." 

"Shh.. you should rest now, I will wake you when we get there"

 

* * *

 

 "Gabriel?" Nathan lies on the bed, all bandaged up and tucked in.

He moves the blanket and sees his leg. The cloths have been colored dark red. He takes a careful step that ends in him lying on the floor while making a loud noise.

"Gabriel!" He yells and tries to get up. He takes support from the nightstand next to him and gets on his feet, leaning only onto his right foot.

"Where are you Gabriel?" Nathan looks around, he's in Gabriel's bedroom. There's a baseball bat next to the door frame, he limps to it and goes to search the rest of the apartment.

Everything is dim-lighted. Only one light shines the combined kitchen-living room, and it's in the balcony. He clicks the light-switch on. Mountains of dirty plates and cups, clothes thrown on the couch - all piled up. The windows have snow flowers growing on their surface on the outside. The clock that hangs from the wall says it's three in the morning, but the electric stove says otherwise; that it's six am.

A sound of keys jingling just outside of the flat. Then the sound of them unlocking the door and after that the handle goes down. Gabriel steps in, and he has a grocery bag in his other hand and keys in his other. He's surprised by the lights but even more by the boy that leans onto a baseball bat with his left foot bandaged and bloody. 

"Nathan, what are you doing? You should be resting" He leaves the groceries on the floor and runs to Nathan's aid that is about to fall down. 

They both fall down on the floor.

"I just went to get some supplies, why didn't you wait?" Gabriel whispers and squeezes Nathan in his arms. Nathan stays silent but answers to the hug.

"Oh no, I have to change it again" Gabriel runs his fingers on the bandages lightly. 

"Okay"  He takes a deep breath "Nathan, I need to move you on to the bed, can you walk there with my support?" He presses his palms on Nathan's cheeks and waits patiently for him to answer.

Nathan's eyes are droopy and his mouth is half open. First, he moves his lips but no words come out. He breathes in slowly and tries again, now, there's only one word, clear and quiet. 

Gabriel nods and slowly gets up while giving support to his beloved.

 

* * *

 

They both fall down on the bed, panting and sweaty, their stomachs growling, but still they smile to each other.

 "Do *huff* ...I mean, *huff* are you hungry?" Gabriel moves his arms in a more comfortable position.

Nathan's eyes are closed, and his breathing is steadily blowing little puffs in to Gabriel's ear.

Gabriel sits up, changes Nathan's bandages and moves him under covers; the spring has yet to show its warmth.

"Three o'clock... huh. I should put out the groceries first" he scoffs.

His shoes really make him stand-out in the silence of his apartment. But outside is no different. The paper bag is put on the table, the bottom is a little wet; the ice cream has melted. Gabriel looks out and only the cold, early spring morning stares at him back. He empties the bag but doesn't go to sleep. Instead he lays on his couch and puts on the light and starts reading the newspaper. The surprise and excitement still boil inside his veins; the newspaper moves back and forth in his hands and his eyes wander between the rows of words that he can't quite grasp what they say or what they mean. 

He coughs. Then he coughs again, now a little louder. He gets up, leaves the news, and goes back to the kitchen. His hands quickly find an empty glass on the counter that he remembers using. Well, there's no one else to use it except Nathan but he has yet to visit the kitchen, let alone pour a drink for himself. Still, the slight chance of his lips touching the same surface, his saliva still on the edge of the glass, it excites him.

 _Stop right there_ , his conscience says. His mind obeys and focuses on the current task without the thoughts swaying too far from it.

He keeps the glass under the tap and runs the water.  _Is there something in his eyes, or does the color seem... a bit off?_

He rubs his eyes few times and lifts the glass to his eye level to inspect. He moves it against the window where the dim light come from, but still unsure, he flicks on the lights in the kitchen. 

It's brown, with a mix of red in it, and it's thick. He pours the water down the sink and watches as the sticky water slowly drips and hits the aluminum bottom, only to clog up the sink. 

The floor seems to rise to his level as the strength leaaves his legs, his one hand holding onto the counter and the other holding onto the dirty glass.

And everything goes black.

 

* * *

 

 

"Gabriel, hey Gabriel, are you alright?" Nathan's face are above him, worried. The tender hands are petting his hair and his head lays on a soft and bumpy surface.  _Is he laying on his lap? That would be a dream come true!_

"Hey!" Nathan slaps Gabriel's cheek "I know you're awake, don't fall asleep again like that!" 

"Like what?" Gabriel smiles while his eyes slowly open up. 

When his eyes are finally fully open, he sees Nathan gazing at the nearby window, not him. His eyes dance, almost like they could speak to the wind outside just by looking. 

"Nathan" Gabriel touches the head lightly and soon the eyes follow "why am I in your lap?"

Nathan doesn't open his mouth nor does he seem to think of an explanation. Instead, his brows are frowned and his eyes wander off to the walls and the floors, everywhere else except Gabriel's face.

"Is there a glass somewhere here?" Gabriel pushes himself up from the lap "or have you looked at the water?"

"The water?" Nathan jumps up and looks up to Gabriel "no, why?"

The glass is not on the floor but on the counter, exactly where he took it from. He runs the sink, the water is see-through like it normally is. 

"How is it..." Gabriel wonders and leans into the sink "or was is just a nightmare?"

"Nightmare? What did you see?" Nathan puts his hands in his pockets. Gabriel realizes that he hasn't given he jacket back and that he's wearing it right now.

"Moreover, how's your leg? And this jacket..." Gabriel is about to take it off but there's nothing underneath. He pauses and for that one awkward moment, they share a silent connection that says that he should keep it on.

"It's fine already, thanks to your help" Nathan seems more interested in his own feet than he is in Gabriel. Still, even though he says he's fine, he is too careful not to lean on his patched leg.  

Gabriel puckers his lips and moves them left and right as he thinks "can you... can you walk to the dinner table, I'll make you some breakfast"

Nathan nods and walks to the table while avoiding to put any weight on his leg. Gabriel waits until he safely sits on the chair. He starts inspecting the papers on the table and finds a comic book that he starts reading. 

"I'll change before..." Gabriel points to his bedroom door that is wide open; Nathan acknowledges that and continues.

His steps are fast and sharp, obviously not wanting to make the black-haired beauty wait. But as he steps into his room, he sees the mess around him and curses his past-self for not cleaning in the day before yesterday when he should have. He ruffles his hair and runs his fingers against his sweaty scalp.

_Did he see this? Should I clean this? Would it take suspiciously long?_

He looks at his hands and closes his eyes for a second.  _Okay, take a deep breath. Let's clean a bit and then change. Just throw the clothes in your wardrobe and other random objects under the bed or into the cupboards. It's fine. It **will** be fine._

He closes the door but not all the way, just enough so it looks as if he was just changing. First he swipes the dirty clothes off the floor and then kicks the other stuff under the bed. The room is already looking better but not too obvious. Then he looks in to his closet, half-filled with dirty clothes and after that he looks for a clean t-shirt, nothing too fancy.

 

He opens his bedroom door, and behind it is Nathan, as surprised as he is, he falls down on his bum and looks for a way to escape. 

"I'll give you your jacket when I have washed it, don't you worry about it" Gabriel picks it up near his door where he left it and shows it to Nathan. The left sleeve is covered in blood and the other in dirt "but why are you here, wait a sec,  _don't tell me,_ you were peeking on me!" Gabriel lifts his hand to cover his mouth and with his other one, after he puts down the jacket, he moves from up to down like a fine lady he is.

"I was..." Nathan senses the humor and sees a way of escaping the situation "hungry, took you long enough, I was just wondering when you're planning on preparing the food"

Gabriel winks and offers a hand to pull him up "a fine lady takes her time preparing herself before the dinner!" 

"You're not making any sense!" Nathan laughs and walks to the table by himself. He doesn't pick up the comic but keeps his gaze on Gabriel while leaning onto his hand, smiling.

"You're right, I don't make any sense. But like me, the universe itself doesn't make any sense, therefore I make as much sense as the universe" Gabriel says while occasionally a laugh leaves his mouth. 

Nathan keeps looking at his back and the nape of the neck under the hair that has slightly shifted to the side "You make sense to me, even though some of your actions don't" Nathan says quietly, more to himself than to Gabriel. 

"Did you say something?" Gabriel turns around with a tomato in his left hand and an egg on his other on "oh, and I didn't have the time to ask you, but you don't mind tomatoes on breakfast, right?" 

Nathan shakes his head "I don't mind"

Gabriel waits for an answer to the first question but when he doesn't get it, he turns around and continues cooking. 

He hums every now and then, boils some water and chops onions "it's a bit too quiet in here, don't you think?" he looks over his shoulder and gives Nathan a big smile.

"Should I, -should I turn on the radio?" Nathan points to the old radio that has its antenna broken and twisted. 

"It hasn't worked in ages," Gabriel's smile fades a bit "I just keep it there as a memory of my grandma. But I meant the telly, you could stare at that if you'd like" 

Nathan moves around like a robot and finally spots the remote control; he points at it but doesn't make any efforts to rise from his seat "yeah, I think I'm good like this" he blurts out.

Gabriel shrugs "Suit yourself" he slides the chopped onions to the pot "a~nd for breakfast we'll have some tomato soup, and some boiled eggs with toast. Old recipe. How does that sound, excited?"

"Well I have yet to taste your cookings, might as well prepare for the worst" Corner of his mouth rises a bit, he knows that Gabriel can't see that but he still tries to keep it hidden. 

"Are you implying that I'm bad at cooking? Excuse me, I have made my own food since we started school, I mean, when  _I_ started school because  _you_ were hanging out in the forest with your imaginary friends and missed the first day, introductions, and guidance that you  _really_ need" Gabriel lashes out and as soon as he finishes speaking he turns around and realizes what he has said "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that"

Nathan looks like he's about to cry but no tears stream down his face. 

Gabriel runs to hug him, his scent and the softness of his hair make Nathan be at ease for some reason. Or maybe it was reassuring to finally hear those words from someone's mouth, everything that should've been said but no one could put it into words and deliver it to Nathan. 

"It's okay, you're fine, you're fine as you are. I'm sorry" Gabriel whispers to his ear while sniffing and keeping his tears inside. His hands are tightly wrapped around Nathan's head, not letting him leave the strong embrace that conveys more than just their current emotions. 

"It's not your fault, I deserve this" Nathan pats the back with gentle strokes "It's just... so weird to hear that,  _you_ , of all people," he laughs in relief "yeah, this is what I needed, guidance" 

Gabriel lets him go but stays to hold Nathan's head in his palms "you're important to me. Don't forget that" he presses his forehead against Nathan's "sometimes" he pauses "but sometimes we need some conflict, that's what life is about"

"to come to an agreement" they say together, and then chuckle to that.

"I've got to finish the food, and I promise you, it'll be the greatest breakfast you've ever eaten" Gabriel goes to the kitchen while humming an old children lullaby. 

 

* * *

 

 

He places the two bowls on the table, opposite to each other. He leaves to get the boiled eggs that he has peeled, sliced, and put on display on a white plate that has been embroidered with golden vines and leaves. Then he gets the toast in the basket, the butter, the spoons, knives and glasses, and lastly the drink, orange juice. 

"Good morning, like they say, starts with a nice breakfast" Gabriel smiles due to all of the effort he put to this moment.

"Good morning, like they say, starts with being around people you love" Nathan smiles and pours some juice in to his glass.

Gabriel sits down and starts scooping his soup down, little fluttered from Nathan's slip of a confession, and by doing so he burns his tongue.

"Slow down, you'll burn yourself" Nathan scolds and takes a bread from the basket.

"'ould he cham 'een 'eter" Gabriel quickly pours some juice to himself and gulps it down in one go. Nathan butters up his toast.

"So you burned your tongue already, I see. So, what did you say?" Nathan bites his buttered toast.

"cham, 'he CHAM!" Gabriel tries to say while pouring another glass of juice.

"Jam?"

Gabriel nods, then point to himself, then to the kitchen and then back to the table.

"Are you going to get jam or are you asking if I want jam?" Nathan asks and blows and his spoonful of soup.

"'ant? ou ant!" Gabriel tries to imitate something but fails miserably.

"If I want some jam? I'm fine with butter, thanks" Nathan smiles a little, but is careful not to smile too much to embarrass Gabriel. 

Gabriel looks down on his soup, one piece of chopped onion floats on top and the heat rises to his face. 

"Did your grandmother use to make this?" Nathan starts up the conversation that had fallen silent. 

Gabriel nods. 

"I'm glad I got to try this out, it tastes amazing, just like you said" Nathan looks for an eye-contact but doesn't get any.

"I have never tasted tomato soup before in my life. And I feel like I got to know you better, little piece of your past, your history. Please make me more of your cookings in the future" Nathan ends his short monologue, takes a sliced and boiled egg, places it on to his toast and bites in to it.

"'ank ou" Gabriel whispers and continues eating. 


End file.
